Tag Archives: Kitchen Garden

Here’s another case of government gone horribly wrong. A Canadian couple is fighting to keep a vegetable garden they grow on their property in Drummondville, a town about 60 miles northeast of Montreal.

Earlier this spring, Michel Beauchamp and his wife, JoséeLandry, planted an elaborate (and quite pretty) vegetable garden on the front lawn of their home. It replaced a flower garden. Because they wanted to eat better, they planted a variety of veggies, ranging from tomatoes to brussels sprouts. Eating food from their own garden has helped each lose weight, a combined total of 100 pounds.

The government doesn’t care, however. The deadline to remove the garden has already passed. According to the local government, 30 per cent of the front lawn must be covered in grass. The city has sent the couple two letters, ordering the couple to reduce the size of their vegetable garden. After Sunday, they face fines of $100 to $300 per day.

They aren’t deterred. “It must be a right to be able to grow our vegetables on our land. It is nonsense to ban it,” said Beauchamp. A spokesperson for the city said neighbors have complained about the garden, although Beauchamp is challenging them to on that count. He shares his home-grown produce with the neighborhood. And it’s hardly unsightly.

“They love it. Everybody is surprised by the kind of taste we can have from fresh vegetables,” he said.

Beyond squashing this couples healthy eating, the city plans to make it illegal to grow vegetables on front lawns anywhere in the city during the fall. The city held public consultations on the new rule and it said no one objected.

This is what you get when you allow a nanny state. The couple are now petitioning for the council to relax its draconian rules. In part the petition reads:

Front yard kitchen gardens are not the problem; they’re part of the solution to healthier and more sustainable communities. Thanks for helping us to defend them.